Mgahinga Gorilla National Park , Gorilla Trekking Tours in Uganda

This is the smallest national park with a size of 33.7km and takes its name from Gahinga, the local word for the piles of volcanic stones cleared from the farm land at the foot of the volcanoes.

The British administration declared the area a game sanctuary in 1930 and was gazzetted as a National park in 1991. The park has got one habituated gorilla group. You can get a chance to visit the Batwa and enjoy their way of life.

Mgahinga National park sits high in the clouds at an altitude of 2227m and was created to protect the rare mountain gorillas that inhabit its dense forests and it’s an important habitant for the endangered golden monkeys.

This is the smallest national park with a size of 33.7km and takes its name from Gahinga, the local word for the piles of volcanic stones cleared from the farm land at the foot of the volcanoes.

The British administration declared the area a game sanctuary in 1930 and was gazzetted as a National park in 1991. The park has got one habituated gorilla group.

You can get a chance to visit the Batwa and enjoy their way of life. Mgahinga National park sits high in the clouds at an altitude of 2227m and was created to protect the rare mountain gorillas that inhabit its dense forests and it’s an important habitant for the endangered golden monkeys.

The national park also has a huge cultural significance, in particular for the native Batwa pygmies. This tribe of hunter gatherers was the forest’s first people and their ancient knowledge of its secrets remains unequalled.

Mgahinga’s most striking are its three extinct, conical volcanoes, and part of the scenic Virunga Range that lies along the border region of Uganda, Congo and Rwanda. Mgahinga forms part of the much larger Virunga Conservation Area that includes adjacent parks in these countries.

The volcanoes slopes contain ecosystems and are biologically diverse and their peaks provide a striking backdrop to this great scenery.

The Virunga Volcanoes

The virungas are the chain of eight volcanoes which fill the borders of Uganda, DRC and Rwanda. Three of the colonial peaks are in Uganda’s Mgahinga Gorilla National Park.

Muhavura is the highest of the peaks in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. This name means guide and the batwa used to look for its high peak to help orient them in the forest.

Muhavura has a crystal clear crater lake about 36m wide as its summit.  The top also commands the panoramic views far into Uganda, Rwanda and along the length of the virunga chain.

The virungas are the chain of eight volcanoes which fill the borders of Uganda, DRC and Rwanda. Three of the colonial peaks are in Uganda’s Mgahinga Gorilla National Park.

Muhavura is the highest of the peaks in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. This name means guide and the batwa used to look for its high peak to help orient them in the forest.

Muhavura has a crystal clear crater lake about 36m wide as its summit.  The top also commands the panoramic views far into Uganda, Rwanda and along the length of the virunga chain.

 Mount Gahinga is the smallest of the Virunga volcanoes and it was named after the local practice of tidying the volcanic debris that messes local farmland into neat cairns or the gahinga. This swamp filled crater is around 180m wide.

Sabinyo means old man’s teeth, a reference to its jagged summit which is divided by deep gorges and ravines. The countries that share the virungas are Uganda, Rwanda and DRC, these all meet on the highest of Sabinyo’s stumpy peaks.

Caves;

Some of the steep mountain slopes have caves formed by lava tubes, one of them being the famous Garama cave that is situated near the park headquarters.

This is a sacred place for the Batwa and during the Batwa Trail you can explore how it was used as a shelter during battles and as a place to store looted treasures.

Ntebeko Visitor’s center

This visitor center at Ntebeko is the starting point for nature walks, volcanoes hiking, golden monkey and gorilla trekking and the batwa trail visit. The trailhead of the long Batwa trail is at the base of Mt Muhavura.

Exhibits inside the building explore themes relating the Virunga environment. A trail along the stone Buffalo Wall – built to keep animals out of neighboring farmland – provides good birding and views of the volcanoes.

This visitor center at Ntebeko is the starting point for nature walks, volcanoes hiking, golden monkey and gorilla trekking and the batwa trail visit. The trailhead of the long Batwa trail is at the base of Mt Muhavura.

Exhibits inside the building explore themes relating the Virunga environment. A trail along the stone Buffalo Wall – built to keep animals out of neighboring farmland – provides good birding and views of the volcanoes.